Designer drugs Very clear conference
Echo of Bergamo of 11/24/2007 p. 20
¦ Dear director, «L'Eco» is hosting opinions regarding the conference organized by the ASL to solicit the use of generic drugs. The title of the event was: Who's Afraid of Generic Drugs? The published letters show that the real concerns about the introduction of equivalents are family doctors. And this, given how the conference unfolded, makes no sense. The representative of the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa) supported without hesitation: the "goodness" of the equivalent; has ensured that the quality controls of the equivalents and the quantities of active ingredient that the body takes, if treated with one or the other drug, are the same and are verified at European level; the savings obtained and obtainable will be reinvested in favor of those assisted by the national health system; in some European countries generics represent 60-70% of drug consumption against the current 13-14% in Italy. The AIFA representative did not forget to point out to those present the progressive shift of prescriptions from expiring patent drugs to new generation drugs, thus circumventing the positive effect of the drop in costs. A video of Prof was broadcast. Garattini who, for the umpteenth time, explained that there are no substantial differences between "designer" and "equivalent" medicines, apart from the price. The questions multiplied. Hearings emerge in relation to the continuity of care: often the equivalents in use are not available and need to be replaced with similar ones. This generates concern and bewilderment in patients. Other times, only the designer is found in the pharmacy and then, it is asked if in such cases the patient has the right to have the medicine without paying supplements. Technical questions are asked about the actual value of the medicine and the limits created by the different packs. Doctors also ask for "counter-information", in order to be able to evaluate the proposals coming from the pharmaceutical industry. The rapporteur answered all of them exhaustively without raising any objections. In summary: it was an interesting day in search of "those who are afraid of the equivalent drug". Contrary to what was written to "L'Eco" by Dr. Angelo Gambarelli, I think it was a positive initiative, worthy of further study. U – From Echo of Bergamo of 11/24/2007 p. 20
